When you are using the Tarot to understand what is going on in your life it can offer two clear answers, one that is positive and one that is not.

Sometimes in reading, there is the chance that there will be obstacles that can be temporary.  Keep focusing on what is happening and remember the details.  Line up and support as much as you can before you make any moves.

This is not a time to have to try harder, it is a time to understand the cycle of life and that sometimes temporary obstacles happen.  You have to just focus on your inside and know that a better result can come later.  Remember the I Ching.

Temporary Obstacles

Have you had temporary obstacles that have blocked your way to certain goals or ambitions?  This isn’t a total bad thing, because without setbacks, you will not work as hard.  If there are not irritating times, then you could never experience something great.

Obstacles are not forever and even if they are on the way, don’t try to go around it, but move it.  A temporary obstacle has to be seen as temporary and not take over what you are feeling or get you down.

One of the positive things about this is that it can cause you to look inside yourself and get more character about you.  The cause of the problem can help you to be more introspective and can give your personal growth.

Without resistance, good things cannot happen.  If you have temporary obstacles that you are facing, don’t be too concerned.  These are part of your life and can help you to reach your goals.  Sometimes setbacks are the solution to the problems, you just have to make it around it first.

Changing Lines

If you have a temporary setback, make light of it and continue on.  Don’t try to confront the obstacle on your own but wait until you have support.  Get some help and support in your life to help you through the obstacle.

Second Changing

When something hard happens, follow through because action can give you success.  You need to learn that sometimes you cannot go forward or back, but you have to just wait until the obstacle is out of the way.  When this happens, do your best to not worry and to look for help from the universe.  Also, use people in positions of power to help you and to support you.

Future Hexagram

When you meet resistance, know that you have a good goal.  This is a good way to stay on a path to success.  Retreat is not to be seen as surrender.  A successful retreat means that you have a quick movement and that you have a new position before you take another one.  This allows you to keep your resources and to position yourself in a better situation.

Withdrawal or retreat can help you to stay cool and is necessary sometime so you can stay cool.  Look at details and allow yourself time to grow and to see everything overall.  Have self-confidence when small setbacks come and do not allow yourself to have doubt.

When you start to see progress, learn to understand the different ups and downs that you will face.  Don’t think that you can fix all the situations in your life.  Somethings are bigger than you and do not let your pride get in your way.

I Ching Defined

The I Ching is the oldest-known oracle in the world. It is a book packed full of Chinese wisdom, as well as the accumulated experience of over 2500 years of both sages and diviners. The I Ching also goes beyond that of ancient oral traditions through a voice that offers people help in guidance for generations.

Current I Ching books are full of texts mixed with advice and imagery, as well as philosophy and poetry, that has been divided into 64 chapters. There are 64 hexagrams made up of lines that are either broken or solid.

When consulting the I Ching, you use coin tosses, marble pulling, or the sorting of yarrow sticks, to build a hexagram one line at a time. Each translation of the I Ching will explain this simple practice. Once created, you will be directed to a specific collection of texts that explain what it means if more than six of your lines are in transition and what to do after the transition. A hexagram goes beyond a convenient heading, it is also a picture of how energy flows through a given situation. The I Ching is translated as the “Book of Changes” which is the constant throughout the chapters of the book. The hexagrams are not simply static pictures, but ways to move so you may create, receiving, sustain, begin, learn, wait, and so much more.

What to Do with the I Ching

The I Ching can be used for many purposes. Whether you choose to utilize runes, tarot, the I Ching or some combination, the power of change stays with you. The I Ching is a type of oracle that is used to answer your questions. The answers you receive bring you into contact with a fundamental and unchanging aspect but is also vividly connected to your personal situation. The I Ching brings deep insights that empower you to make changes for the better in life.

The I Ching can bring harmony to relationships while strengthening spiritual practices or even reassuring as needs arise. Some have used it in legal matters as a guide, to offer business advice, and inform investments. This is because it can restore and can be used for continual consultation.

Most value the I Ching for the ability to help with relationships. The provided answers are sensitive to the nuances of human interaction in business, friendship, and love. Used with sincerity and respect, the I Ching can help you better understand the feelings of another, as well as their perspective. It also leaves you better prepared for challenges and negotiations.

Does the I Ching Predict the Future?

The I Ching can answer questions about things within the limits of our personal understanding. This is based on insight into the present, not a prediction. Specifically, the I Ching can outline the challenges and opportunities that may arise if you choose a particular path and how to negotiate any obstacles. This is not fortune-telling but provides the effects of choices so a person can develop strategies to achieve goals.

The danger with any type of divination is the user continually consulting it without taking responsibility for the decision. The I Ching gives this responsibility to the user as a way of caring for the user.

First Steps

The best way to learn the I Ching is to find a translation and read about the methods to start asking questions. If you have no specific questions, cast a hexagram for the day or week then spend time contemplating it once it comes to an end. When given time and thought, this is a powerful way to gain an understanding of the hexagrams.

At first, understanding the answers can be complicated. Though it can offer modern-day advice, it is with 3,000-year-old imagery. If this does not make sense over time, there are commentaries available to help. A reader may also be helpful with learning the I Ching or when in urgent need of answers.

Who Can Use the I Ching?

Anyone can use the I Ching based on innate talents, some of which may surprise you, as you use the I Ching. The I Ching works on so many levels, so a specific ability is not needed. Some will dig deeper than others in their use. Enter in any way you desire and grow from there. Truth is everywhere, not hidden for a specified few.

However, there are a few prerequisites to have a rewarding relationship with the I Ching because it is not for instant answers or confirmation of ideas. This takes time and patience to develop which means sincerity and openness is necessary. While using, you may be asked to consider the unthinkable, but in the least, you can grow.

Why has the Popularity been Maintained?

The I Ching was slow to spread into the West, possibly due to the individual nature of the I Ching. It does not do as well in a one-size-fits-all world. However, new translations help you create a real relationship with this oracle as popularity grows throughout the world. Some have been using the I Ching for up to 50 years. It is definitely up for consideration if interested in oracles.

The I Ching is the most sophisticated, as well as the oldest, system of divination wisdom. Otherwise known by the name Book of Changes, it is an ancient Chinese text that has seen prominence in the Far East for centuries. Based on hexagrams, 64 six line symbols to be exact, this powerful tool can help a person navigate life with an understanding of the unconscious forces that shape the situations that arise and keep us connected with life’s creative processes. The I Ching is said to bring out a helping spirit, the shen, that guides us each.

I Ching is read as a microcosm, as part of the universe, that has symbolic and complex meanings, that uses cleromancy like the casting of lots that produces random numbers. There are then 64 main situation types that can be looked up in the book. This can help you be clear on life and enhance intuition. As a tool, divination can open up the psyche to guidance and a higher inspiration as it teaches you to trust your inner self and knowledge.

I Ching and Jung

Carl Jung was the founder of analytical psychology and used the oracle in sessions with clients for therapy. He introduced the I Ching to the English speaking nations in the early 50s and had been practicing with the oracle for over 30 years when he had the chance to meet the translator of the book. As the two shared, the psychological understanding between the east and west was built. The men’s shares use of the healing power brought them together.

Jung did an impressive and important amount of work focused on the analysis of the human psyche. He separated the psyche from the mind as we hold as a concept. Jung believed that the psyche and physical matter is connected, hypothesizing that the inner and outer worlds are not only connected, but mirror each other.

The psychic events inside the world and those outside of it are not coincidental, but have an acausal source beyond cause and effect. Thusly, the I Ching does not bother to describe change because it participates in it, being part of the process. Jung did experiments, consulting the oracle, as a cure for neurosis in patients. He believed that trying to be normal violated the inner nature of those he treated. As part of this, he encouraged individuals to pay attention to dreams and synchronicities throughout the day. He further viewed the I Ching as a way to cultivate these synchronicities.

Symbolic Representation of the Psyche

We can still thank Jung for his tremendous influence on modern psychology with concepts about introversion and extroversion, dream analysis, archetypes, the collective unconscious and so much more. He created the standard model of the psyche that many still use today. Jung believed that though whole, many people have lost touch with important parts of the self. Listening to dreams and ideas that come through imagination, we can work to reintegrate ourselves. This is the goal of life.

While Jung’s model of the psyche has four elements, the hexagrams of the I Ching have six. These range between the first, the lower earthly area and the sixth, the upper heavenly area.

Enhancing Life with I Ching

The I Ching helps you to find your own answers through empowerment. It serves only as a conduit to the subconscious so the higher self can reveal the necessary answers to whatever question you may have in life. It further helps you to observe the patterns that are common in life so that you can better know yourself. The Book of Changes will reveal your subconscious mind and the expectation of outcome. The I Ching serves as a mechanical link between the waking consciousness and the subconscious spiritual self. This is a multi-layered system.

Overall, the I Ching seems to be a form of advanced psychology that reflects the deepest self truth. This unites ancient wisdom with the psychology of the western world. This connection brings about a capacity to enjoy life, yet meet future needs. Jung referred to this healing as “the healing of souls”. The I Ching can do the same for you.

I Ching is a fortune telling tool that takes places back in the ancient times.  This is a way that the Chinese could use a tool to help them to predict events that will shape their destiny.  This has been studied by many people.

What is I Ching and how can it be used?

I Ching Basics

One of the oldest tools in divination is the I Ching.  Some claim that it is over 3,000 years old and has helped millions of people to have guidance and advice in all questions of life.  The I Ching is basic but at the same time it is complex.

The great thing about I Ching is that it doesn’t just give you answers that you ask, it also helps you to find answers that already are inside of you.

Consultation

There are different ways in which the I Ching works and one of the earlier methods was counting yarrow sticks but this has evolved into a bigger thing.  Now the most common method is tossing a coin because it is hard to find 50 yarrow sticks.  Tossing a coin is faster and easier to come by.  The I Ching is not as important as what mindset that you have when you are consulting.

Mental Focus

It is important to focus on the question when you are asking the I Ching for advice.  If there is one piece of advice that is important for beginners is to be careful what you fill yourselves with when seeking answers from the I Ching.

When practicing tossing a coin, it is important to meditate after each answer.  After building a hexagram line, they empty themselves just like pouring out water from a container.  The results or the answers will fill the person asking the questions so they must be ready to receive.

This might sound hard, but by practicing, you can become good at it.

Consulting the I Ching

The I Ching isn’t something to learn but everyone already has it in them.   You will need a copy of the I Ching, paper, pen or pencil and 3 different coins.

The first thing to do is to ask the question, you don’t even have to ask it verbally if you don’t want to but make sure you are concentrating on what it is.  Your question cannot be a yes or no so this will take more time to listen.

Instead of asking yes or no questions you should say something like “How can I tune in more to the world around me?”  or “How can I make the relationship that I am in happier?”

Asking questions like these will allow you to take time and become better at listening for the answer.

The second thing to do is to meditate on the question and then throw the coin.  On your paper from the bottom to the top, record the four things that happened:

• 3 tails means that the line is broken by an “x”, Changing Yin.
• 2 tails, 1 head is a Yang, this should be written by a line.
• 3 heads is a changing Yang and should be a line with a knot.
• 1 tail, 2 heads is a Yin and should be a broken line.

Continue to repeat this six times until you have a hexagram.

If you have no changing Yin or Yang you skip the next step, but if you did, you have to create a second hexagram and put the opposite symbols in the place before changing any of the symbols.

If you had one changing Yin in the first spot, you create a second one that is identical except it has the Yang in the original Yin’s place.

If you have only one hexagram then you need to look up the I Ching.  If you have two because the changing Yin or Yang then you look up both hexagrams.  The first is the changing symbols and shows what is happening in your life now.

The second is the answer to the question.  There are over 64 different hexagrams that all go in the I Ching.  Use the chart to figure out what chapter your answer is in.

These readings aren’t straightforward and you have to meditate to get the answer.  Depending on which I Ching you read, the language might be different than others.  The meaning of the message will always be the same.  Take each reading into account as a suggestion and remember that the reading isn’t the answer but taking time to meditate on it is what is really important.

Now that you understand the I Ching basics, look at the text and figure out how it can change your life.

Divination

Divination is defined as the reading of signs and symbols so that one may obtain guidance in a current situation or about future events.

In history, there have been several methods of divination used that include things like observing animal behaviors, tracking the movements of stars and planets, listening or participating in oracular utterances, or even casting lots. These older methods were, at the time, seen as a way to communicate with unseen powers in the spirit world. Using a modern psychological viewpoint, divination represents a subtle way to tap into the unconscious mind.

I Ching, an ancient Chinese form of divination, is steeped in both myth and legend. Based on the Book of Changes, dating back to 1000 BCE, divinatory purposes were used hundreds of years even before the Han dynasty. Over the years, many commentaries have been added to the basic text of the I Ching. Still in use today, the I Ching is both profound and sophisticated with often accurate readings that have caused westerners to take part in a system of divination. Some of the more famous ones include Carl Jung, Wolfgang Pauli, a physicist, and writer, Hermann Hesse.

Philosophy of I Ching

Change, or flux, I the basic and central idea behind I Ching. The idea is that all things, including human life, is understood through time. This goes from birth to death and rebirth. When we study these patterns and the relationships between the opposites in the cycles, we can see things for what they are. The most basic of the opposites that is noted are that of Yin and Yang.

Yang is in reference to the active, creative, and expansive force in the universe. Yin is about the mutable, receptive, and contracting form. Thus, all changes can be understood in light of this relationship. When Yin and Yang are balanced, then life proceeds in harmony. When we find this harmonious balance and walk that path throughout life, we are living in accordance with the Tao.

Beyond Yin and Yang is a reality known as T’ao Chi or Taiji, which means the Absolute. This is represented by the Yin-Yang symbol most people are familiar with. But is technically called the Taijitu.

Structure of the Oracle

Yin and Yang are normally represented by broken and unbroken lines, Yang is solid, Yin is broken in two. In the I Ching, the lines are then used to create hexagrams that are made up of six lines. When hexagrams are created, they are read from the bottom up with each line either being a Yin or a Yang. The combinations can make 64 different designs and each one ha a particular meaning in divination. The individual hexagrams are understood as being composed of two trigrams or three lines each.

The trigrams are identified as a set of three lines, the top three and the bottom three of the hexagram. These represent the outer and inner aspects of a given situation, respectively. In relation to the trigrams, there are 8 possible combinations, each with a traditional meaning.

Each hexagram also includes two Ruling Lines that are pivotal in both structure and dynamic, representing auspicious qualities. For the most part, line 5 is a ruler, but on occasion other lines take over as most important.

The Book of Changes, also referred to as the I Ching, (which is pronounced “ee Ching’) is an ancient Taoist book that people have been using for centuries to bring them guidance. It can give you generalized wisdom, or more specified wisdom tailored to specific questions you have about your life.

Daily Consultation

Consulting the I Ching daily is one of the easiest ways to get used to it. Lots of people like to do it either before meditation, or when they first wake up. There are several methods to consult the I Ching, but the three coin method is most widely used.

The Three Coin Method

First, you’ll need an I Ching interpretation book, a pen and paper, and three coins. Many people use Feng Shui coins, but quarters will work just as well.

Next, think of your question. Find a quiet place with a flat surface and focus on your question for a few moments. Then, holding the coins in your hand, either in your head or outloud, say “Show me what I need to know”.

Toss the coins in the air 6 times, and write down whether they landed on heads or tails. The results will leave you with two trigrams, or two sets of 3 lines (6 coin tosses, 6 lines. Get it?). The trigrams are read from bottom to top. Interpretation guides usually have a place either at the beginning or at the end of the book to explain in detail how to convert the trigrams into a hexagram.

How to Look Up Hexagrams

You can either use your I Ching interpretation book, or an online hexagram chart to look up your hexagrams. Your bottom trigram will be on the side, and your top trigram will be at the top. After you find all of your trigrams, you’ll need to find where the rows and columns intersect. Write down the number at this intersection. It’s your I Ching reading number. Then, turn to the page with that number in your interpretation book and read it.

Don’t forget to thank both the I Ching and the coins for their assistance and guidance!

Specified Guidance

You can use I Ching consultation to receive guidance about specific things, too. You can do this using the coin method, or by using online websites. Before you toss your coins or click the button, focus on your question, or go one step further and write it down. Then you can either toss the coins or click the button. Here are some common question topics:

• How can I make my relationship stronger?
• What can I change in order to become emotionally ready for a serious relationship?
• How can I improve communication with my partner?
• How can I find my dream job?
• What can I do to advance my career?
• How can I use my job to fulfill my life’s purpose?
• What is my purpose?
• What steps can I take to fulfill my life’s purpose?

Some other topics that you can consult the I Ching for include:

-Prosperity, wealth and finances

-Learning and education

-Spirituality and religion

-Happiness and mental health

-General health

-Friends and family

-Creativity

Crossroads

If you’re at a crossroads in your life, it’s a great time to consult the I Ching. Just think about the decision you’re facing and any questions you have about it. Then, you can use the reading to guide your decision.

Feng Shui

Feng Shui and I Ching are very much interconnected. The trigrams in I Ching are used in Feng Shui and expressed throughout all of its elements. So, many people consult the I Ching for Feng Shui.

The I Ching is ancient, and filled with wisdom. The answers that it provides aren’t always clear. But, thinking about the reading and the words as they apply to your situation forces you to actually think about your situation, which helps you find solutions and work towards personal development and growth. And, the words of the I Ching will help to guide you along that journey.

The Ching is one of the oldest books that ever existed. Some are over 3000 years old. This book deals with a profound study of change and not religious beliefs or fortune telling. There is a basic fact of life and the universe within the great chaos or the unexpected. Patterns and cycles are brought into existence through the interaction of these two processes. They are known as change. The unexpected constantly confront our life. The ever-changing occurrences and opportunities are likely to lift us up or put us down. These currents are ridden skillfully as the Ching presents. It does this by giving feedback to questions that will later help us to make important decisions and calm down our emotions.

The Ching was consulted on matters relating to state, decision making and warfare in addition to being a book of wisdom in the oldest Chinese culture. It is its aspect that’s represented here. Whatever will happen in the future will not be presented to us when we consult the Ching. It doesn’t foretell the future.

Something we can gain from the Ching is the fact that it frequently tells us how the situation is and what we face. This gives us confidence and clears our thoughts in relation to the things we face. This means, consulting the Ching is more of definition, especially our actions rather than an aspiration for worries about the future. It helps us create our own future and not to wait on the worldly things.

Both great men and women have consulted the Ching in the recent past.

How to consult the Ching- The Book of Change

The first step is to define the question. They shouldn’t be many questions but just have one in mind. It can be a question like, what am I supposed to guard against this issue? Which direction should I take? What are my expectations with my new relationship?

How to consult the Ching traditionally is through throwing a bundle of yarrow sticks?  It is a very long process that is ritualistic too. Its modern equivalence is the usage is the use of the three coins. They are thrown three times. Specific results will come as a result of each throw. This result is called a LINE. The line can either be unbroken horizontally or just a horizontal line with a break in the center.

This will give either positive feedback or a negative one. Yes, is represented by the unbroken line. And the broken one a negative or no.

Technical Information

The three coins are thrown six times. One line is generated in the hexagram by just one throw. Beginning from down to up.

In the past, the coins used were those with a hole in the center. One side marked and another side blank. The marked side is a positive one while the blank side is negative or ‘tails’.

When we do I Ching readings for other people, it’s because we want to help. We know what I Ching can offer, and we want to share that. But when you read for someone else, you don’t naturally recognize how the answer is speaking for them. It may not even happen at all. You may be uncertain if you actually recognize the querent in the answer, or if it’s your own baggage and preconceptions. Sometimes you’ll recognize the answers as things you yourself needed to hear.

Listening to the querent you’re reading for, and taking enough time to make sure their questions are good ones, can help a lot.

In your personal relationship with I Ching, you may have become relaxed. You may be able to ask for a “yes” or “no” answer with the understanding that I Ching will address the questions behind your stated question. You probably recognize when I Ching is addressing deep, underlying concerns that you should be asking about instead.

But none of this is likely to work when reading I Ching for somebody else. To hear I Ching’s answers, beginners must hear the question that’s being asked. Hearing the conversation is also crucial for you, the reader: it gives you a solid foundation to separate your preconceptions from I Ching’s answer.

When you analyze a reading, you likely see complex layers of meaning: there’s hexagram text, hexagram shapes, trigrams, nuclear hexagrams, associated history and myths, as well as vivid, emotional experiences of your own.

It’s tempting to hop on the “easy I Ching for modern users” bandwagon, saying “making a change” instead of “crossing the great river,” or “be very careful” instead of “treading the tail of the tiger.” But don’t hop on. Simplifications are forgettable. Tigers’ tails are not.

You need to escort your querent into the vivid imagery. Help them make themselves comfortable in a realm where nothing will travel quicker than a horse, where tigers are protective spirits but occasionally eat people, and where wading across rivers is treacherous. You might have to choose just one image from among all that you can discern in trigrams and text. But giving readings will always involve imagery.

One more tip: have clarity in your own mind regarding readings’ basic structure. Know what’s represented by the primary and the relating hexagram. Understand the working relationship among the diverse moving lines. This is essential to the interpretive skills you use to draw out the meaning of readings.

Don’t Burn Out

About six years ago, I burned out. I didn’t know if I could do I Ching readings ever again. I’d been available to do readings for more than 10 years, except for a random week off here or there for family emergencies and responsibilities. I ran out of the essentials and needed to hide away. I spent long, long hours sitting in the shade of a maple tree with no plans at all.

Divination differs considerably from coaching or counseling because the actual source of answers is not the diviner. It’s the I Ching. But serving as the conduit for I Ching’s help definitely is work. So, don’t do what I did. Don’t make yourself unconditionally, absolutely available to carry anything and everything for anybody or everybody indefinitely at any time!

Like most people, you probably would have enough common sense to not put yourself in a situation like that in the first place. But even if you’re only available for occasional readings for friends or family, you’ll still bear the weight and responsibility of their expectations.

I don’t have any one-size-fits-all solutions to this. I think the best I can do is share some of the helpful answers I’ve found to my own personal questions. Your answers will probably be different, but you should probably seek them before you do a lot of readings.

I learned I need to care for myself by spending time outdoors. I need to take time off from doing readings full-time. I need trees and sunshine in the sky. Occasionally, if I worry about a specific querent, I seek out somebody I trust and confidentially share about my worries. I understand my responsibility as a diviner in that I’m responsible to give the reading as thoroughly and as expertly as I possibly can.

If my querent doesn’t understand it, I have to try different ways of communicating, and continue until they get it or I run out of ideas. If the querent resists what I Ching says at the time, I make the information memorable, so they can benefit from it later. If they don’t answer my calls, I write out my notes and email them. If somebody requests a refund before the interpretation, I’ll send it, but I’ll also send the interpretation. Doing readings for others is a sacred undertaking. I do everything I can to deliver it to them. If the zombie apocalypse begins while I’m working on somebody’s reading, I guess I’ll have to type it out before I get on my bike and skedaddle!

But I don’t bear responsibility for the outcome. I’m not responsible for how the querent interprets the reading. And I’m absolutely not responsible for what they choose to do. I trust I Ching to do its thing, and I trust the querent to choose their own path. At least, that’s what I keep striving to do!

I Ching is Chinese for “Book of Changes.” The I Ching all about change, which is always happening—it’s the only constant in life. An ancient method for casting an I Ching reading was an involved process of sorting fifty yarrow plant stem stalks. The modern method is tosses of three identical coins with distinct heads and tails sides. A series of six tosses produces the six lines of a hexagram. Like buildings, I Ching hexagrams are assembled from the ground up. The bottom line is the first line in text interpretations.

An easier, more hands-on method to cast I Ching uses three coins. Bronze Chinese coins with a square hole in the middle have no obvious heads or tails sides, so before you begin, choose which side is which and stick to that designation every time you cast.

The easiest and most modern way to cast the I Ching is to use an online simulation or an app. These methods preserve the mathematical odds inherent in the ancient yarrow stalk method to obtain each line, as well as the energetic connections behind the tosses. Your resulting lines depend on how you shake and the timing of your clicks on the icons on the screen.

Using Coins for I Ching

When you use coins to cast your I Ching reading, here are some important things to keep in mind.

• Focus on your question, subject, or dilemma when you cast.
• While staying focused, loosely hold the coins in your hands, briefly shake them, and toss them. To determine the line you’ll record, assign a numerical value to each head and tail you tossed, then add up the total. Each head is worth 3, and each tail is worth 2. So if you tossed one head and two tails, your starting line will be 7, because 3 + 2 + 2 = 7.
• Gather up the coins and toss them five more times. Record the numerical value and the corresponding line for each toss. This will build your complete six-line hexagram.

This hexagram is considered to be your “present hexagram.” To generate a “future hexagram,” change each line to its opposite value. In other words, change any broken Yin lines originally marked with an ‘“x” into solid Yang “o” lines, and change any solid Yang lines originally marked with an “o” into broken “x” Yin lines.

As mentioned earlier, I Ching is all about change. So if your hexagram contains no changing lines (that is, a 6 or a 9 value), this means that the situation surrounding your topic of concern is relatively stable or not in a state great flux at this time.

After you identify your present and future hexagrams, use an online hexagram identification chart for an interpretation. When reading your interpretation, consider just the changing lines you tossed. You will also be able to view artwork that corresponds to your hexagram. I Ching apps can fill in more details for you, identifying subtleties of your tosses and take much of the busywork out of a consultation.

More I Ching Resources

Paul O’Brien’s The Visionary I Ching is an expert translation including original paintings for each of the 64 hexagrams. The text updates the historic oracle’s language, yet carefully preserves the core of its consequential decision-making knowledge. The I Ching text is also available as an e-book.

Additional I Ching books available today offer a wide variety of interpretations. Some adaptations modernize the text, remove gender bias, and update the archaic language. Other translations include interpretations and elaborations on the explanations, offering rough paraphrases of the original text.

A significant range of quality can be found amongst the translations. The most famous, Wilhelm’s version of The I Ching or Book of Changes translated by Wilhelm and Baynes with a forword by Carl Jung, is tainted by 19th-century politics and trends Germanic, as it was first translated from Chinese into German, then translated into English from the German. It faithfully preserves the sexism and militarism of patriarchal Chinese society prior to the time of Confucius, which some readers find quite confusing. Another version faithful to the original Chinese but easier to understand is The Complete I Ching: The Definitive Translation by Shanghai’s Alfred Huang, who is a Taoist Master and a contemporary I Ching scholar.